Pudong headed into the Mecca space in the Castro

The interior as it currently stands, pretty much untouched since Mecca closed.

The old Mecca space on Market Street has been dark since the three-star restaurant-turned-club closed in early 2009. Now, a new regime has taken over the flashy space and will open a traditional Shanghainese restaurant called Pudong.

But it’s not that simple. There will be flairs of French brasserie culture, because as the Pudong folks say, there are a lot of French accents in Shanghainese cooking, thanks to the French presence there back in the day. However, they are very adamant that Pudong will not be fusion cooking, or any type of fusion. And also, it will not be a nightclub.

The chef will be Jason Xu, who was the executive chef at the now-closed Shanghai 1930. He spent over 10 years at the restaurant, starting as a sous in 1997. In fact, the GM-partner also hails from Shanghai 1930, and before that, he was at El Paseo in Mill Valley.

The basic layout of Mecca will remain, but the aesthetics will get a facelift, with the concrete floors replaced by white marble and stone. Curtains will drape over the entryway, and the color scheme will be brighter than Mecca, with the white floors accented by chocolates and cremes. The DJ booth will be a goner.

Oh, and the name Pudong is taken from a district in Shanghai that is the equivalent of the city’s Wall Street — it’s the financial hub.